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Page 10
The Battalion
Piston’s Rodman named league defensive
player of year over Houston’s Olajuwon
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) —
Dennis Rodman, who has flustered
many of the NBA’s best shooters,
shed tears of joy after being named
the league’s defensive player of the
year.
Rodman, whose intense defense
helped the De
troit Pistons allow
the fewest points
in the NBA this
season, edged
Houston’s Akeem
Olajuwon for the
honor in voting
by writers and
broadcasters.
“It’s a dream come true for me,”
Rodman said Monday. “I was disap
pointed when I didn’t win it last
year. I take pride in defense. I think
I do a good job of it.”
Rodman was outspoken and bitter
last year when Utah’a Mark Eaton
won the award.
I said I was going to work harder
this year, and it’s worked out,” Rod-
man said following Monday’s prac
tice session.
Then, tears running down his
cheeks, Rodman’s voice broke up.
“I wanted this award so bad,” he
sobbed.
Pistons general manager Jack Mc-
Closkey put his arm around Rod
man’s shoulder and walked him
around a corner, away from the
lights and cameras.
Later, Rodman was laughing. “I
tried to hold it back. I tried, but it
didn’t work,” he said. “It’s gratifying
to me that I won it.”
Rodman received 49 of a possible
92 votes. Olajuwon had 35 votes, fol
lowed by Detroit’s Joe Dumars and
Dallas’ Derek Harper with two votes
each. Chicago’s Michael Jordan,
New York’s Patrick Ewing, Milwau
kee’s Alvin Robertson and Eaton
each received one vote.
Pistons coach Chuck Daly, while
acknowledging that Isiah Thomas is
the team’s catalyst, said Rodman
might be the club’s MVP.
“The debate was over whether it
should be Dennis or Olajuwan,”
Daly said. “My contention is that
Dennis plays more people.
“It’s a work ethic. I don’t know if
there’s a more valuable player on
this team than Dennis. The most im
portant thing is that Dennis has be
come a student of the game. That’s
made him so much better.”
Rodman was the league’s top sixth
man before stepping into the Pis
tons’ starting lineup for the final 42
games of the season. The team went
on a 25-1 streak that essentially
sewed up the Central Divison and as
sured them home-court advantage
throughout the Eastern Conference
ofrs.
he Pistons and Knicks open the
Eastern Conference semifinals at the
Palace on Tuesday.
Though he averaged only 8.8
points per game, Rodman’s defense
was enough to land him on the All-
Star team for the first time in his
four years in the NBA.
Rodman, a 6-foot-8 forward from
Southeastern Oklahoma State, led
the Pistons in rebounding with 9.7
per game while generally guarding
the opponent’s most dangerous
shooter. With him setting the tone,
the Pistons allowed just 98.3 points
per game this season, the lowest fig
ure in the league.
Oilers may have to get knee-deep in crude
Houston threatens NFLPA with suit;
Lathon contract key issue in claim
HOUSTON (AP) — Attorneys for
the Houston Oilers have threatened
to sue the NFL Players Association
for alleged interference in contract
negotiations with the club’s No. 1
draft pick, KRIV-TV reported
Tuesday.
Lamar Lathon was nearing a con
tract agreement with the Oilers last
week when NFLPA executive direc
tor Gene Upshaw asked the line
backer and his agent, Tom Williams,
to delay signing.
Upshaw said he wanted Lathon to
get tne best deal possible. Lathon has
not yet signed his contract.
“All of your statements are clearly
calculated to prevent or delay the ex
ecution of contracts and to persuade
the player and his agent that the
contract will not only hurt them but
other players,” Oilers attorney Steve
Underwood said in a letter to Up
shaw.
Underwood said the Oilers would
sue both Upshaw and the NFLPA if
his comments already had caused
damage to their efforts to sign La
thon.
“You are advised that if, in fact,
other representatives of the NFL
Players Association have also tor-
tiously interfered, the suit will in
clude courts of civil conspiracy,” Un
derwood’s letter said.
Upshaw declined comment and
his attorney, Jim Quinn, denied any
damage.
“We think the Oilers’ claim has no
merit,” Quinn said. “There is a first
amendment, whether it’s Gene Up
shaw or Donald Duck, that allows
you to speak their mind and the
NFL and Oilers should recognize
that.”
Lathon already is working out at
the Oilers’ training facility and Wil
liams says his client would be present
Monday when the team’s head start
program begins.
Lathon was the 15th player cho
sen in the draft and reportedly is
oing to sign a five-year deal worth
3 million.
Astros edge out Phillies 3-2 with
Ramirez’s tenth-inning double
Detroit clobbers
Knicks 112-77
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP)
— The Detroit Pistons got 10
points from James Edwards to
open the third quarter and the
defending NBA champions
rolled to a 112-77 victory over the
New York Knicks, in the opener
of their Eastern Conference play
off Tuesday night.
The 77 points matched the Pis
tons’ best playoff defensive effort
and also was the lowest total ever
for the Knicks in the postseason.
Detroit held the Chicago Bulls
to 77 points on May 15, 1989.
New York had a previous playoff
low of 79 against the Capital Bul
lets in 1974.
The Pistons outscored the
Knicks 35-15 in the third quarter.
Isiah Thomas led Detroit with
21 points and Edwards finished
with 18.
Patrick Ewing scored 19 points
for New York.
HOUSTON (AP) — Rafael Ram
irez doubled home the winning run
in the 10th inning Tuesday night as
the Houston Astros beat the Phila
delphia Phillies 3-2.
Eric Yelding singled to right, stole
second and scored when Ramirez hit
a ball over the head of left fielder
Randy Ready. The hit came off
Dickie Noles (0-1), who was making
his first appearance of the year.
Dave Smith (1-2) pitched the 10th
inning for the victory.
The Phillies had plenty of chances
to take the lead in the late innings,
but always came up short.
Astros right fielder Glenn Wilson
threw out Curt Ford at home plate
to end the seventh inning, and re
liever Danny Darwin came on with
the bases loaded and one out in the
eighth to strike out pinch-hitters
Rod Booker and Dave Hollins.
In the top of the 10th, Ready ap
peared ready to score the go-ahead
run but he missed home plate and
was tagged out by catcher Craig Big-
gio-
After an appeal play at third base
cost the Astros a run in the fourth
inning, they took a 2-1 lead in the
fifth on Ken Caminiti’s RBI single.
Glenn Davis, who had reached
base with two outs on third baseman
Charlie Hayes’ throwing error,
scored from first base on Caminiti’s
hit. After a relay to home plate failed
to get Davis, Caminiti was thrown
out at second base to end the inning.
The Phillies tied it in the sixth
with two outs. After Ricky Jordan
doubled, John Kruk reached on
shortstop Ramirez’s throwing error.
Kruk moved to second on a fielder's
choice that forced Jordan at third
and scored on Darren Daulton’s sin
gle.
After Lenny Dykstra and Tom
Herr led off the game with singles
off Bill Gullickson, Von Hayes hit a
sacrifice fly to left to give the Phillies
a 1-0 lead.
The Astros tied it in the fourth
when Caminiti singled, went to third
on Eric Anthony’s double and
scored on Wilson’s infield hit.
Wilson went to second on Casey
Candaele’s infield hit and took third
on a fielder’s choice grounder by
Gullickson. Yelding then hit an ap
parent sacrifice fly, scoring Wilson
and giving the Astros a 2-1 lead.
But the play was ruled a double
play following an appeal to third
base umpire Bruce Froemming, who
said Wilson left third base before
Lenny Dykstra’s catch in center
field.
Wednesday, Mays
rashes may c
team Indianapolis s
opportunity for practice. “We haven't found anyth
• crashes by Bill Vukovich (that might have broken)
rookie Buddy Lazier cost said. “We gave all the mn,
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — He-
melgarn Racing, hit by a pair of
that demolished two cars
and sent one of its drivers to the
hospital, is in a battle with the
clock.
With the start of qualifications
for the Indianapolis 500 on Sat
urday, every minute off the track
And
III and rookie Buddy Lazier cost
the team a lot of time, as well as
equipment.
“The damage to both cars was
too extensive to go into repair
now,” crew cheif Ron Dawes said
Tuesday. “Buddy's could be re
paired, but not in the time Frame
have. Billy's car is not repaira
ble.”
Vukovich, who suffered a con
cussion in his crash late Monday,
was hospitalized overnight and
released T uesday morning. The
team was negotiating a purchase
of another car for Vukovich, the
1988 Indy rookie of the year and
grandson of a t wo-time winner.
“We have a backup for Buddy
under construction, an '88 Lola-
Cosworth,” Dawes said. “We
think we can still get them in this
weekend, Billy for sure this week
end, and possibly Buddy. It’s
going to hurt Buddy worse be
cause of his rookie status. Billy's
got some more miles on the track,
so we think Billy will be OK.”
Lazier, the youngest driver en
tered in the May 27 race and sore
of former Indy driver BoU
zter, has never' started an
car race. He drove only o:
on Monday before his lolasp^
to the out side wall coming ok ;
the fourth turn. |
The crew still wasn’t sure?
Tuesday why the car wento®|
control.
“We haven't found anyth-
gave m tne parts s
US AC, and they’!! run tests to s«
if there was any mechanical
ure. But there was no indicate
of failure; it could possibly I*,
been a wmd gust.”
Vukovich, whose grandfaik
won the 500 in 1953-54 and'*,
killed while leading the IS:
race, lost control coming out
the first turn just before thee
of practice on Monday.
He did a half-spin into then, lp r<
and went 560 feet off the w > n
into the second-turn infield:
“He just got up to spee
fast on colcl tires,” Dawes
“We had started making gains
the chassis, and he just; wentic
little too hard on cow tires."
Vukovich drove 35 laps qH tai
Monday and had just cloddh: jp 11
best lap of the week at SlWlffl 001
mph before the crash. pl ,a '
Veteran driver Jim Crawfe.
whose car was damaged iiiacn:
on Sunday, expected to get
repaired racer back by Wedn?
day. In the meantime, he
his backup car available.
stil
foi
Dallas employs speed traini
specialist to quicken slow-pokes 11
IRVING (AP) — First he chose
Alexander Wright and Stan Smagala
in the NFL draft.
Now, if anyone still doubts his de
sire for speed, Dallas Cowboys coach
Jimmy Johnson has another weapon
— Randy Smythe, a speed training
specialist.
Among Smythe’s other clients are
the New York Jets, the U.S. Olympic
volleyball team, fencing and basket
ball teams and several professional
tennis players, including eighth-
ranked Tim Mayotte.
Smythe began a two-day orienta
tion Monday for his over-speed
training concept the slowpoke Cow
boys will employ this year.
“There is no coincidence I’m here
and Johnson is here,” said Smythe,
president of The Speed City U.S.A.,
a Portland, Ore.-based company
who began implementing his learn-
to-run-faster theory in 1982.
“He wins with speed. That’s the
whole thing with jimmy Johnson.
He won with speed before at (Uni
versity of) Miami and he will win
with speed again. We’re birds of a
feather on this.”
But on Monday, the Cowboys re
sembled harnessed birds. Smythe’s
training concept is based on resis
tance and uses waist harnesses and
Flexicord, which can be anchored to
the ground or between two players.
Cowboys offensive linemen Nate
Newton and Jeff ZimmernuJ
both nearly 360 pounds —gauH
shot with tne Flexicord stretek 1
between them.
Smythe’s theory to increase™
is similar to a baseball playerpi3|
a weighted object on hisbat(br;||
tice swings. When it’s vemoveig
baseball player will feel as if!
swinging the bat faster.
“Contrast training,” Smythe
it.
“If you could erase 20 errors:
a guy’s running form, he c
knock three- or four-tenths of
40 (yard) time,” Smythe said
emphasis here is on grace
beauty, not brute force. Itsbaset
efficiency.”
Smythe is not some quad IT
to make a quick buck on the:
footed Cowboys, whom Johnson
last year were slower than his Mi
teams.
Mike Woicik, the Cowboys
strength and conditioning
who used the training techi
while at Syracuse University
duced Smythe’s concept to Jol
“What we’re trying to do is
f uys over their normal topspef
mythe said.
He said he has proof that
workout is used for a couplt
years, an athlete can reduce his
jn tlte 4()-yanl dash from 5.Dh
or from 4.6 to 4.38.
It took Freud 38 years to understand it.
You have one night. ^
The psych exam is in 12 hours. And your id wants to party. Your ego
wants to conk out. But your superego knows you need to stay awake
tonight to cram.
Fortunately, you’ve got Vivarin. It helps keep you awake and mentally
alert for hours. Safely and conveniently. So all your brainpower can focus
on understanding the brain.
If Freud had used Vivarin, maybe he could have understood the brain
^ 00 Revive with VIVARIN:
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© 1990 Sigmund Freud copyright represented hy The Roger Richman Agency. Beverly Hills, CA
© 1990 SmithKline Beccham
Use as directed. Contains caffeine
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